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Chinese Oboes and quality

Author: bechstein
Date: 2010-07-17 01:29

I have been searching for an oboe to purchase for my daughter. She has been playing the oboe for one year and would like to continue in her high school band in grade 8 in September (2010). We are looking to purchase a beginner or intermediate-level oboe.

We are currently renting a used Selmer 1492FB oboe for her but at this point we realize it would be better financially to purchase one rather than pay for its rental or even the rent-to-own program. The music store indicated the Selmer 1492FB value is about $1800 (used). I've seen better oboes for less than this in the local classified ads (such as Craigslist.org) and so I am now looking to purchase one from Craigslist or perhaps eBay.

I've been watching the local classified ads hoping to find a used Yamaha oboe such as a Yamaha YOB-241. I've heard Yamahas are good oboes for their price. I saw a used YOB-211 for $450 on craigslist.org but I later found out it doesn't have a left hand F which I have heard is a good feature to have after a year or two of experience. The next model higher, the Yamaha YOB-241 oboe, does have the left hand F and so is probably a better choice for my daughter considering she's played oboe for one year. (But the YOB-241 doesn't have the low B-flat and I am not sure if that is important or not). I am also considering a Yamaha YOB-244 but I think that will be over my budget.

Our current Selmer 1492FB has both the left-hand F as well as the low B-flat but I will likely return it because the cost to purchase it from our dealer is $1800 (used) and I feel I could find a better deal in my local classified ads, craigslist or on ebay. With our low budget I feel I can't go wrong because I am not expecting a Loree or any of the top level brands.

I've looked at other student-level models from Buffet, Linton, Barrington, Howarth, Kreul, Jupiter and Selmer but haven't made any decisions yet. I've heard the student-level Yamahas have a good sound considering their reasonable cost.

On an oboe I have heard it is important to have:
left hand F
left hand E-flat
low B flat (not critical but good to have)
resonance key (for F and/or B-flat I think) (I am not sure if this is important or if my Selmer 1492FB even has this.)

I have several choices of used and new oboes I see on eBay and in my local classified ads such as a Yamaha YOB-241 ($900), Yamaha YOB-244 (can't recall the cost), Buffet Crampon $1000 and then there are many new Chinese-made oboes such as these:
New Oboe. Full conservatory. $449.90
New Oboe. Modified conservatory. $520 And so here is my question:

At the student level, why would one consider purchasing a used Yamaha (with limited features) or any other well-known brand name oboe such as a used Selmer when for only about $500 you could purchase a new oboe made in China?

Has anyone here on this forum ever tried a new Chinese-made oboe? What may be your opinion? This question will require fair honest objectivity rather than blind brand loyalty.

Now please don't read me wrong here and consider I have not thought through the obvious which is the track record of these new Chinese instruments and the level of risk of buying an instrument with poor quality or sound - of which I have a feeling may not be as much risk as there was only a few years ago. Unfortunately, I do not play the oboe to be able to decide for myself but I do play the piano and just recently in late 2009 purchased a used grand piano (of unknown origin - was likely Korean made - based on feel and sound alone rather than brand). The piano industry is going through major economic changes due to the rise of Chinese production and design quality. As little as only two years ago (in 2008) it was considered extremely risky to purchase a piano made in China but recently the latest pianos from China have surprised the traditional western-based industry (and the Japanese piano industry) and caused a drop in piano prices worldwide by producing high quality pianos for significantly lower costs. The western piano industry has had to move much of its production to China because of this in order to compete. I can attest to this myself in that during my year of piano shopping in 2009 after playing hundreds of pianos over a year to test for myself, I played some beautiful sounding Chinese grand pianos that cost half as much as any American, European or Japanese grand pianos. These Chinese made pianos even played and sounded better. Take for example Hailun pianos. I preferred the $14,000 Hailun grands over the $30,000 Petrofs or even the $40,000 American-made Baldwins or most grand pianos in the $20-$30K range. Are the same changes that I describe in the piano industry occurring in the woodwind instrument manufacturing industry? Excellent quality from Chinese builders at a fraction of the cost of the traditional brands?

Based on my experience with being impressed with Chinese pianos I am therefore leaning toward purchasing a Chinese-made oboe). There is a 14-day return policy on these Chinese oboes and so I would be able to try it out to lower the potential purchase risk that comes with many ebay purchases. I could ask a friend who plays the oboe to try it out for us when it arrives.

Has anyone here on this forum had any experience with Chinese-made oboes or have any experience-based words of advice? Is there good reason to only purchase well-known brand names (such as Yamaha or a used Yamaha oboe or Buffet Crampon) or are the new Chinese oboes a viable alternative?

Thank you for any opinions,

Post Edited (2010-07-17 03:01)

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Chinese Oboes and quality new

bechstein

2010-07-17 01:29